Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Great fun read
A great book by itself but even better if you love esoteric theories regarding ancient civilizations. Rutger does a great job of tying in various ideas from various alternate human history theories. Highly recommended!
A great book by itself but even better if you love esoteric theories regarding ancient civilizations. Rutger does a great job of tying in various ideas from various alternate human history theories. Highly recommended!
This story is one that has stuck in my mind. A definite favourite, and I find myself always recommending it to folks who are looking for adventure horror.
It’s an incredible setting for the plot, inaccessible and ominous canyon walls and the river running through it.
As the team delves further into the canyon/cave mystery I was completely shocked at every surprise and twist. You will never guess what’s really going on until you get the actual explanation!
Definitely buy this book as it can be reread again and again; even knowing the truth that lies within, it’s an adventure each time.
It’s an incredible setting for the plot, inaccessible and ominous canyon walls and the river running through it.
As the team delves further into the canyon/cave mystery I was completely shocked at every surprise and twist. You will never guess what’s really going on until you get the actual explanation!
Definitely buy this book as it can be reread again and again; even knowing the truth that lies within, it’s an adventure each time.
A horror/thriller marketed as Indiana Jones meets the X-Files, written by a Hollywood screenwriter. Given that, I had hoped it would be dumb fun and...yeah, pretty much.
This has [b:The da Vinci Code|968|The da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)|Dan Brown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1720313229l/968._SY75_.jpg|2982101] levels of laughable historical "facts." Like our hero, rogue archaeologist (whatever that is) Nolan Moore, declares with a straight face that maybe the cave of wonders they are exploring was built by the Romans. I mean, what?!? The Romans (not known for deep ocean sailing - they were mostly in the Mediterranean/near coastlines in Europe & Africa) sailed to the East Coast of North America...then marched to the Grand Canyon (why?), and started building things in a cave...because reasons? With no historical record of the Romans ever making it to Greenland much less the Americas. And they were busy conquering Europe, North Africa, and their enemies the Persians, so they would have no real need or desire to sail off into the deep ocean. Sure, why not Nolan, maybe the Romans came to the Grand Canyon!
I am actually not mad at the dumb "facts" and conspiracy theories, because that kind of nonsense is what I am here for in an adventure thriller. What I was annoyed about was that there was too much sitting around twiddling thumbs and talking about childhoods, and not enough monsters!
Nolan and his crew - bestie & boss Ken, organized & practical assistant producer Molly, & handsome, athletic camerman Pierre - make the web show The Anomaly Files. Nolan has heard about a mysterious cavern in the Grand Canyon, explored in 1909 by G.E. Kincaid. The cave allegedly holds wonders, but it has been ignored (coverd up?) by the archeological establishment. The Anamoly Files crew is joined for this expedition by interpid reporter Gemma, as well as Feather - the representative of the show's new sponsor, the Palinhem foundation.
The first 60% of the book is spent getting to the cave, finding the cave, exploring the cave (without adequate supplies!) and getting trapped in the cave. Too much talk about being thirsty, not enough cave monsters!
Eventually there are little hints about what is strange about the cave (a pristine pool of water that grows algae overnight...a mosquito appearing deep in a cave, etc). And then many pages later, the hints of danger turn into real danger and it's not just dehydration that may kill our adventurers.
The secret truth about the cave turns out to be as bonkers and stupid as I had hoped.
This was an entertaining way to kill a few hours - even with too much spelunking, not enough sci fi shenanigans - and that is all I wanted from this book.
This has [b:The da Vinci Code|968|The da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)|Dan Brown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1720313229l/968._SY75_.jpg|2982101] levels of laughable historical "facts." Like our hero, rogue archaeologist (whatever that is) Nolan Moore, declares with a straight face that maybe the cave of wonders they are exploring was built by the Romans. I mean, what?!? The Romans (not known for deep ocean sailing - they were mostly in the Mediterranean/near coastlines in Europe & Africa) sailed to the East Coast of North America...then marched to the Grand Canyon (why?), and started building things in a cave...because reasons? With no historical record of the Romans ever making it to Greenland much less the Americas. And they were busy conquering Europe, North Africa, and their enemies the Persians, so they would have no real need or desire to sail off into the deep ocean. Sure, why not Nolan, maybe the Romans came to the Grand Canyon!
I am actually not mad at the dumb "facts" and conspiracy theories, because that kind of nonsense is what I am here for in an adventure thriller. What I was annoyed about was that there was too much sitting around twiddling thumbs and talking about childhoods, and not enough monsters!
Nolan and his crew - bestie & boss Ken, organized & practical assistant producer Molly, & handsome, athletic camerman Pierre - make the web show The Anomaly Files. Nolan has heard about a mysterious cavern in the Grand Canyon, explored in 1909 by G.E. Kincaid. The cave allegedly holds wonders, but it has been ignored (coverd up?) by the archeological establishment. The Anamoly Files crew is joined for this expedition by interpid reporter Gemma, as well as Feather - the representative of the show's new sponsor, the Palinhem foundation.
The first 60% of the book is spent getting to the cave, finding the cave, exploring the cave (without adequate supplies!) and getting trapped in the cave. Too much talk about being thirsty, not enough cave monsters!
Eventually there are little hints about what is strange about the cave (a pristine pool of water that grows algae overnight...a mosquito appearing deep in a cave, etc). And then many pages later, the hints of danger turn into real danger and it's not just dehydration that may kill our adventurers.
The secret truth about the cave turns out to be as bonkers and stupid as I had hoped.
Spoiler
Some alien species for some reason seeded Earth with caves filled with pools of water in which balls of different elements would roll in at some point to generate new life, creating - (1) demons/ogres/giants to kill everything on Earth to wipe it clean for (2) a whole bunch of random animals. It's the "ark." The collection of animals that are grown in this cave pool is WILD. There's a pterodactyl, a unicorn or potentially a woolly rhino, and coyotes. Two of each kind are generated in the cave, and it's not clear how they are supposed to get out (are the coyotes and unicorns just supposed to...climb down?? when Nolan spent forever on how steep and long and hard of a climb it was to the cave?) and there is no respect for geological climate (woolly rhinos in UTAH in the 2010s?). And what happens if the coyote decides to eat the unicorn because it gets hungry because there is NOTHING IN THE CAVE TO EAT besides each other?!? Especially since they are supposed to chill in the cave for however long it takes the demons to kill off all the current lifeforms so that these animals can now go repopulate the world. And allegedly Earth is already on the 2nd or 3rd or whatever reset (see: flood myths). So...humans are one of these animals that will eventually emerge from the cave? Like, Neanderthals or just homo sapiens? WHO KNOWS. This book doesn't know. It doesn't care! And neither should the reader.This was an entertaining way to kill a few hours - even with too much spelunking, not enough sci fi shenanigans - and that is all I wanted from this book.
Okay, I can see where this is compared to the X-Files. The MC Nolan, while not as crazed in his search for "the truth" and "the truth" being aliens per se, is certainly open minded and a believer in spooky anomalies that he is willing to try and find for his Youtube show The Anomaly Files. Which leads him and his team to a weird cave in the Grand Canyon.
Indiana Jones? There is a giant ball that may or may not roll through a cave. But it's the "group of scientist/explorers being killed one-by-one" trope (which I love) that makes me think of this book as more Crichton-esque, but without the in-depth science within the science fiction.
I don't know if I would read this as a series, but this book does well enough on its own and was fun to read. Definitely a great page-turner!
Indiana Jones? There is a giant ball that may or may not roll through a cave. But it's the "group of scientist/explorers being killed one-by-one" trope (which I love) that makes me think of this book as more Crichton-esque, but without the in-depth science within the science fiction.
I don't know if I would read this as a series, but this book does well enough on its own and was fun to read. Definitely a great page-turner!
Spoiler
The second to last chapter was very reminiscent of Well Manicured Man or someone from the Syndicate meeting Mulder on a park bench to tell hi, to stop his pursuit of the truth and forget everything he saw.
I really enjoyed this one, it's an interesting premise and the story continually surprised me. Maybe I'm just not as quick on the uptake, but I definitely couldn't have predicted the way everything played out.
Nolan is a great narrator and the familial relationship he and the rest of the team share made for a good read. Everyone is smart and snarky but not in a way that comes across as mean or condescending. There was just enough backstory and personality building outside of the main story events to flesh out the characters but not distract from what was happening.
This book would have been a great standalone, so I'm interested to see what the sequel adds.
(The fact that it takes place in the Grand Canyon and I'm from Arizona and like any media that takes place here may have made me a little more primed to enjoy this, but it really is a solid book.)
Nolan is a great narrator and the familial relationship he and the rest of the team share made for a good read. Everyone is smart and snarky but not in a way that comes across as mean or condescending. There was just enough backstory and personality building outside of the main story events to flesh out the characters but not distract from what was happening.
This book would have been a great standalone, so I'm interested to see what the sequel adds.
(The fact that it takes place in the Grand Canyon and I'm from Arizona and like any media that takes place here may have made me a little more primed to enjoy this, but it really is a solid book.)
The Anomaly is a great blend of action/adventure and horror. With a literary style that is brusque and to the point, alongside descriptions that would make Stephen King proud, this thriller manages to use certain tropes and clichés to great effect.
It has been marketed as a cross between Indiana Jones and The X-Files, and that is a very apt comparison.
It has been marketed as a cross between Indiana Jones and The X-Files, and that is a very apt comparison.
3.5
This book was highly praised by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child...so basically if you are into their books, then you will like this one.
I listened to it and the reader did a great job with the voices and accents. The story follows a team in search of a hidden cave in the Grand Canyon. They are a reality tv crew, but the low budget YouTube kind, trying to break out with a big find.
Things go deadly wrong.
I guess this is like an archaeological mystery? Thriller?
Anyway...if that genre intrigues you, then I def recommend.
This book was highly praised by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child...so basically if you are into their books, then you will like this one.
I listened to it and the reader did a great job with the voices and accents. The story follows a team in search of a hidden cave in the Grand Canyon. They are a reality tv crew, but the low budget YouTube kind, trying to break out with a big find.
Things go deadly wrong.
I guess this is like an archaeological mystery? Thriller?
Anyway...if that genre intrigues you, then I def recommend.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The writing feels dated, the adventure isn't super fresh. But it makes for zoned out readability/entertainment.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A